James Halicka announced his resignation as Greenwood girls basketball coach effective Friday afternoon, citing a “minor health issue” as the reason.
Halicka, 38, takes over for former coach Clay Reeves, who led Greenwood to its eighth state title and Reeves’ 11th overall in the 2023-24 season, after he announced his retirement in May. Halicka will step down from the position just under two months before the Lady Bulldogs open their season on Nov. 14 with a home game against Fayetteville.
Halicka said it was best to make the decision now, rather than being forced to do so once the season has started and putting his new team at a big disadvantage while trying to adjust to a different manager.
“I’ve decided to take the rest of the year off to get healthy and then I’d like to get back into coaching,” Halicka said. “I started to get a little concerned about my health at the end of the summer and I’ve been thinking about it for the last two weeks.”
“It was a difficult decision. I’ve never missed a game in my 16 years as a basketball coach, except for games I’ve had to sit out due to an ejection. If you combine all the teams I’ve played for during that time, that amounts to about 1,500 games.”
Halicka was named Greenwood’s coach in June and said the school was at the top of his list of intriguing schools when an opening came up. He took over the job after leading Bergman’s girls team to the Class 3A state championship in March, the Lady Panthers’ second title in the past three years.
During his 10-year career at Bergman, Halicka compiled a 315-88 record, including a perfect 43-0 record leading the Lady Panthers to a state championship in the 2021-22 season. Prior to taking the Bergman job, Halicka also coached at Kennett, Missouri and Weiner.
“We support James’ decision,” Greenwood athletic director Chris Young said Friday. “We’re sad to see him go, but our health is more important. We have to look after our health.”
“Obviously we’re disappointed. He and the girls worked well together. When he told me I was upset at first but when he spoke about his health I understood. I’m rooting for him and wish him the best.”
Young said he plans to meet with Greenwood school officials in the coming days to see what direction the school wants to go with Halicka’s replacement.
“The girls have been working really hard,” Young said, “so we need to do what we can to help them be successful.”
“This is not something we expected. It’s not an ideal situation, but we still have time before we make a decision.”
